Nakajima admits F1 Toyota exit possible

Kazuki Nakajima admits it is possible Toyota will follow its Japanese manufacturer rival Honda out of Formula One.

The Japanese driver, who is backed by Toyota, Williams' semi-works engine supplier, told reporters on Thursday he hopes the carmaker resists the menace of the global financial crisis and continues its eight-year presence on the grid beyond this season.

"I hope that they will not finish Formula One before they achieve something. That's my opinion as a fan," he said at a Williams media event at Grove.

Nakajima added: "But with the situation at the moment, I think it's really on the edge. You never know what's going to happen."

Source: GMM
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F1's new bodywork rules may have brought an end to a lot of the cars' overt aerodynamic detail, but it has not halted the innovation of the teams.

At the winter test tracks so far, plenty of clever features are on display, including Williams and Toyota's controversial rear diffuser designs.

Sam Michael, Williams’ Technical Director, said on Thursday he expects ‘50 percent of the grid’ to have honed-in on the idea by the time late March and the Australian Grand Prix roll around.

Also spotted recently is a new design of carbon-fibre front wheel covers on the 2009 McLaren.

Described as a sort of ‘snorkel’ by the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the innovation is expected to be fitted to the MP4-24 in Australia.

Meanwhile, on Williams' 2009-spec FW31 at the Grove factory on Thursday, reporters could not miss the addition of new fins on the cockpit.

"They're called 'skate fins' because they're similar to what you see on a surfboard," Michael said.

Source: GMM
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Sir Frank Williams on Thursday expressed anger at the media reportage of key sponsor Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) withdrawal from Formula One at the end of 2010.

The independent British team's boss and co-owner said he is frustrated at how the BBC, Britain's public broadcaster and the country's new Formula One broadcast rights holder, explained the implications of the loss of Williams' second largest backer.

"The stories by the BBC expressed doom and gloom," the 66-year-old told reporters at a pre-season media event at Grove.

"(It) was presented in such a way that it was the end of the world for Formula One. That is totally, totally untrue and incorrect," Williams insisted.

Sir Frank said the RBS's problems are well known, and that it was always almost certain that the bank would withdraw sponsorships of this kind.

It also emerges that, although to remain on the Williams livery this year and next, RBS will stop advertising trackside at Grand Prix as soon as is contractually possible.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

 

Bridgestone has confirmed that it will visibly distinguish the softest compound of slick tyres at Grand Prix this year by painting green circles around the edges of the sidewalls.

We reported recently that this new solution, necessary due to the end of the grooved tyre era where a white line was painted inside a groove, was the most likely for 2009, after teams tested it at the recent Jerez test.

"The green colour has been chosen to show Bridgestone's continued support of the FIA's Make Cars Green campaign," the Japanese manufacturer explained in a statement.

Bridgestone's Director of Development Hirohide Hamashima, meanwhile, also confirmed suggestions that the difference between the two compounds at races this year will be bigger than previously.

"We have changed our allocation strategy so that we can bring non-consecutive allocations to races," he said.

For example, with the 'super soft' being brought to Melbourne next month, the other tyre will be the 'medium', not the next-hardest tyre in the range, the 'soft'.

Bridgestone confirmed that this system will be in place at least for the first five races of 2009.

Hamashima added: "We hope that the change in allocations gives competitors a good challenge and the fans entertaining racing."

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

 

Can't really expect him to say anything different on the matter, but with RBS, ING, Honda, etc. leading the string of $$$ leaving the sport, not really hard for people to assume an "end of the world" position either.

 

I had completely forgotten about Mosley's push for the more aggressive tire strategy. I just hope it works out and really does make for more interesting racing. The problem is that if all the drivers use the same tire strategy, it sorta defeats the purpose of changing the compounds to make the racing more interesting.